Random searches in knife crackdown

People caught carrying illegal knives on the street will be slapped with $1000 on-the-spot fines under the latest Victorian crackdown on violence.

The Victorian government has also expanded search and seizure powers to enable police to conduct random weapons searches in designated public areas, such as train stations, without notice.

Under the three-point plan, minors will be banned from legally buying prohibited or controlled weapons.

Carrying a knife on licensed premises will bring a $2000 on-the-spot fine, Mr Brumby announced in Melbourne today.

Advertisement

Police will blitz areas around license premises to issue the fines.

"I believe it will be a major deterrent to those wanting to carry a knife," Mr Brumby said.

"We want to break the knife culture which has emerged in Victoria and in other states and around the world."

Under the proposed legislation change, the onus of proof has been reversed to allow the fines to be issued as soon as knife is sighted by police.

The principle that a person is innocent until proven guilty will be turned around whereby a person found to be carrying a knife, is "guilty until proven innocent," Mr Brumby said.

Police have also been given new powers to carry out random search of public areas they they have reasonable suspicion that knives are being carried.

This is in addition to the recently acquired power to carry out planned searches of designated areas, Mr Brumby said.

The random searches apply to public areas such as around railway searches.

Under the measures it will also become an offence for anyone under the age of 18 to buy a knife or a controlled weapon.

The premier said Victoria was adopting the toughest measures of any state to the knife culture problem.

He expected the new measures, drawn up in conjunction with police, would receive cross-party support in Parliament and would be put to Parliament at the earliest opportunity.

They have been adopted because while there has been a trend down in knife attacks in Victoria, the government is concerned that more young people have been found to be carrying knives and that knife attacks are inflicting graver injuries.

"That disturbs us greatly and we want to break that knife culture," he said.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Ken Jones, who attended the announcement of the new measures, said there was no quick fix to the knife-carrying culture but that the new penalties were "a useful addition to the tools we already have".

Mr Brumby said he had been told of a knife incident in a school in Geelong today and had been told a reprimand had been issued.

He denied that there was a knife problem in schools and said the government did not see any necessity to introduced any new measures in schools to detect knives.

Police Minister Bob Cameron said the proposed laws were a police response to concern about the younger generation.

The fines applied to knives and prohibited or controlled weapons with an exemption for anyone using knives as part of their occupation. A fine can also be appealed against, the Premier said.

In a separate bid to crack down on Victoria’s knife culture, CrimeStoppers has joined forces with Customs and Border Protection to curb the importation of illegal weapons.

Police were already working with customs through CrimeStoppers tip-offs and today announced a formal agreement where they will pool resources to stop illegal imports at our borders.

CrimeStoppers executive director Peter Sprott said the confidential hotline had a ‘‘huge increase’’ in tip-offs about importing illegal goods in the past year.

More than 1400 cans of OC spray, hundreds of extendable batons, about 500 knuckledusters, 200 stun guns and 240 butterfly knives were seized in Victoria after one tip-off.

‘‘We have had some great results but with this pilot program we are expecting outstanding results to catch some of these crooks who try and bring this sort of stuff [illegal imports] onto our streets,’’ Mr Sprott said.

He said Victorians were well aware of the anonymity of calling Crime Stoppers with valuable information and Customs was now tapping into that resource.

‘‘It’s a highly recognised, long-standing confidential number to ring,’’ he said.

CrimeStoppers receives 60,000 calls a year in Victoria.

Anyone with information can call CrimeStoppers on 1800 333 000 or go to crimestoppers.com.au.

Hodson's daughter: Witness protection not safe

"I feel sorry for anyone coming into witness protection," says the tearful daughter of police informer Terence Hodson after the State Coroner delivered an open finding into his murder and that of his wife Christine in 2004.